Feeding mechanism for billet-heating furnaces.



Patented May 27, I902.

v. E. EDWARDS a E. H. CARROLL. FEEDING MECHANISM FOR BILLET HEATING FURNACES.

(Application filed May 28, 1901J= (No Model.)

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UNITED, STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VICTOR E. EDYVARDS AND ELBERT H. CARROLL, OF \VORCESTER, MASSA- CHUSETTS.

FEEDING MECHANISM FORBlLLET-HEATING FURNACES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 701,023, dated May 27', 1902.-

Application filed May 23, 1901.

X To all whom it 727,051 concern:

Be it known that we, VICTOR E. EDWARDS and ELBERT H. CARROLL, citizens of the United States, residing at Worcester, in the 5 county of W'orcester and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Feeding Mechanism for Billet-Heating Furnaces, of which the following is a specification, accompanied by drawings forming a part of the same, in which-'- Figure 1 represents a portion of a billet-' heating furnace, at the charging end thereof,

with the roof of the furnace removed to disclose the heating-chamber and the feeding I mechanism for feeding a billet thereto, which is shown in plan view. Fig. 2'is a top view, on an enlarged scale, of one of the rotating feed-rolls, with a portion of thereof broken away; and Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing a vertical sectional view at the charging end of the furnace and through the center of one of the rotating feed-rolls.

Similar reference letters and figures refer to similar parts in the different views.

The object of our invention is to providea feeding mechanism for feeding billets to the heating-chamber of a billet-heating furnace; and it consists in the construction and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter described,

and set forth in the annexed claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

A A denote theside walls of a furnace, B the end wall, and G the heating-chamber. One of the side walls A is provided with an 3 5 opening A through which thebillets are entered into the feeding-chamber 'O.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings we have shown a portion of a billet-conveyer consisting, in the present instance, of a series of positively- 0 driven rolls D D, located in front of and in alinement with the opening A by which a billet may be presented by an endwise movement to the opening A but other known forms of conveyer maybe substituted in place of the rolls D D or the conveyer may be omitted and the billets fed through the opening A by hand.

Our-present invention relates to the means employed for moving billets transversely to the heating-chamber C after the end of the Serial No. 61,490. (No model.)

billet has been entered through the opening A and for placing the billet in proper position upon the bed of the furnace. The means embodying our invention for producing this result is shown in plan view in Fig. 1 of the accompanyingdrawings, and it comprises a series of rotating feed-rolls 1, projecting into the heating-chamber and in alinement with the admission-opening A said rolls having their axes preferably placed at an oblique 6o angle to the line of motion of the entering billetfwhereby the billet as it is moved by the rotation of i the feed-rolls is crowded against the end Wall B of the furnace, which is preferably provided with a metallic lining B to prevent the abrasion of the end Wall. Each of the feed -rolls 1 is provided with a cylindrical portion 2, upon which the billet rests as it is moved by the rotation of the rolls transversely across the heating- 7o chamber. The ends of thefeed-rolls 1 are beveled at 3 next the floor of the heatingchamber, so that as the billets are pushed by a sidewise movement 0% the feed-rolls they will slide overthe beveled ends 3 of the feed- 7 5' rolls upon the floor 4 of theheating-chamber. The feed-rolls 1 consist of aholloW cylindrical shell having its inner or beveled end closed and provided with a concentric interior hub 5, which is keyed to the inner end of a rotat- 8o ing shaft. 6. The outer end of the rotating shaft 6 carries a spiral gear 7, which is engaged by'a spiral gear'S, attached to a driving-shaft 9. The feed-roll shaft 6 isinclosed in a long sleeve 10, provided with journalbearings 11 and 12 atits ends and with an annular space 13 at its central portion, communicating'with a chamber 14, inclosed in a shell or case 15 on the upper side of the sleeve and adapted to hold lubricating material. The outer end of the sleeve 10 is supported upon and attached to a beam 16, forming part of the framework of the furnace, by means of flanges 17, and the inner end of the sleeve is provided with a radially-projecting flange 18, which is supported upon the beveled edges 19, formed upon the interior flanges 20 of the metallic box or case 21, which is built into and supported by the end wall B of the furnace, the inner wall 22 of said case 21 hav pass into the heating-chambenand as the.

feed-roll is inserted by an endwise movement through the opening 23 the radial flange 18 is crowded between the beveled edge of the flange 20, the beveled edge 2i of the interior flange 25, and the beveled surfaces 26 26 on the sides of the box 21, thereby centering each of the feed-rolls and maintaining them rigidly in proper position with the upper sides of their peripheries in the same horizontal plane. The feed-rolls 1 are readily removed by detaching their flanges from the beam or framework 16. The inner end of the sleeve 10 is slightly reduced in size, forming a neck which communicates by an opening 28 through the radial flange 18 with a chamher29, inclosed by a flange 30, integral with the sleeve 10 and open at the top to receive a stream of water through a supply-pipe 31. The water flows from the chamber 29 through the opening 28 upon the neck 27 of the sleeve 10 and is prevented from overflowing the end of the sleeve by a radial flange 32. The water is further maintained upon the upper side of the sleeve 10 by means of side walls or flanges 33, Fig. 2, having depressions 3i, over which the water flows and is received within the hollow cylindrical portion 2 of the feed-roll, where it is maintained at a certain level by the flange 35 at the inner end of the feed-roll. The continued supply of water causes it to flow over the flange 35 into the lower portion 36 of the box or case 21, from which it flows by an outlet-pipe 37 into a trough 38.

Alternating'with the feed-rolls 1 are a'series of reciprocating pushing-bars 39,,capable of moving through openings 40 in the end wall of the furnace and pivoted at their inner ends to arms 41, attached to a rocking shaft 42, actuated in the usual manner of pushing devices of this class by means of a hydraulic cylinder 43 and suitable connecting mechanism.

As a billet E is entered through the opening A upon the feed-rolls 1 it is carried transversely across the heating-chamber until its end strikes a buffer 44, which is held in its normal position by any yielding devicesuch, for example, as a spiral spring 45. As the billet E moves transversely across the heating-chamber the obliquity of the axes of the feed-rolls 1 to the line of motion of the billet tends to crowd the billet against the end wall of the furnace and prevent it from working over the end of the rolls, which would be liable to occur in the case of crooked or warped billets if the axes of the feed-rolls 1 were at right angles with the line of motion of the billet. By means of the lateral motion imparted to the billets toward the end wall of the furnace the billets are maintained upon the feed-rolls until they strike the yielding buffer 44, with the billets substantially parallel with the end wall of the furnace and in Suitable position to be acted upon by the reciprocating pushing-bars 39, by which the billets are pushed from the feed-rolls upon the floor of the furnace in theposition shown at F, Fig. l.

WVhat We claim as our invention, and desire to securevby Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with the heating-chamber of a furnace for heating billets and provided with openings in one of its walls forthe introduction of feed-rolls, of a series of feedrolls journaled in bearings outside the heating-chamber and projecting into said chamber with their axes placed at an oblique a11- gle with the wall of the heating-chamber, means for rotating said rolls and an opening for the admission of a billet in alinement with said rolls, substantially as described.

2. In a furnace for heating billets, the com: bination with a heating-chamber, of a series of feed-rolls arranged in a line parallel with the end wall of the furnace, an opening in the side wall of the furnace for the admission of billets in alineinent with said line of rolls, and means for rotating said rolls to move the billet by an endwise motion transversely to the heating-chamber, said rolls having their axes at an oblique angle to said end wall, whereby the billets are crowded against the end wall by the rotation of the rolls, substantially as described. 7 a

3. The combination. with the chamber of a billet-heating furnace having its end wall provided With a series of openings for the admission of feed-rolls, of feed-rolls having their free ends projecting through said openings into said heating-chamber withth'e upper surfaces of said rolls slightly raised above the floor of the chamber and a series of reciprocating pushing-bars for pushing the billets over the ends of said rolls upon the floor of the furnace, substantially as. described.

4:. The combination with the heating-chamber of a furnace having an end Wall provided with a series of openings for the insertion of feed-rolls into said heating-chamber, of a series of feed-rolls with their free ends inserted through said openings, and plates by which said openings are closed at the rear of said rolls, substantially as described.

5. In a furnace for heating billets, the combination with a heating-chamber having 'a wall provided with a series of openings for the admission of feed-rolls, of a casing inclosing each of said'openings and provided with interior inclined surfaces, a journal-nearing provided with a radial plate wedged between said inclined surfaces, whereby said bearing is held in said'casing, a shaft journaled in said bearing and a roll carried by said shaft and projecting through the openingin the furnace-wall into said heating chamber, substantially as described.

6. The combination with the heating-chamber of a billet-heating furnace having a wall provided with a series of openings for the admission of feed-rolls, of feed-rolls having their free ends projecting through said openings into said heating-chamber, and a series of the body of said rolls cylindrical in shape and having their free ends beveled, and pushing mechanism for pushing the billets off the beveledends of said rolls upon the floor of the heating-chamber, substantially as described.

S. Thecombination with the heating-chamber of a billet-heating furnace having a series of openings in its end wall for the admission of a series of feed-rolls, and'having an opening in'i'ts side wall for the admission of a billet, of a series of conveyers outside the chamber and in alinement with said billet-admission opening, a series of feed-rolls within said chamber and opposite the openings in its end walland in alinement with said billet-admission opening, and a pushing mechanism by which the billets are pushed off said-feed-rolls, substantially as described.

9. The combination with the heating-chamber of a billet-heating furnace having an end wall provided with openings for the insertion of feed-rolls, of a-series of feed-rolls inserted in said chamber through said openings with their axes at an oblique angle to said end wall, whereby the billet is carried toward said end wall, and a metal plate supported by the end wall to receive the contact of the billet, substantially as described.

10. The combination with a rotating shaft journaled in bearings and having one end projecting beyond its journal-bearings, of a hollow feed-roll carried upon the projecting end of said shaft and having an open end extending over said journal-bearing and an interior radial flange on the open end of said roll with an annular space between said flange and said journalbearing for the admission of water into said roll,substa ntially as described.

11. The combination with the heatingchamber of a billet-heating furnace having openings in its floor for the reception of feedrolls, of shafts jonrnaled outside said chamber and having their ends projecting into said openings in the fioor of the heatingchamber,

feed-rolls carried by the projecting ends of said shafts with their upper surfaces slightly raised above the floor of the heating-chamber,

means for rotating said shafts and a pushing mechanism by which the billets are pushed off said feed-rolls upon the floor of the heatin g-chamber, substantially as descriued.

12. The combination with the heatingchamber of a billet-heating furnace, of a series of feed-rolls inclosed in said chamber, means for driving said rolls, an opening in the wall of said chamber in alinement with said rolls, a yielding bufier placed opposite said admission-opening to limit the movement of the billets, and a pushing mechanism for pushing the billets oif said rolls upon the floor of the heating-chamber, substantially as described.

Dated this 16th day of May, 1901.

VICTOR E. EDWARDS. ELBERT II. CARROLL.

Witnesses:

J. R. GEORGE, RUFUs B. FOWLER. 

